A BILL to amend and reenact §61-2-15a of the Code of West Virginia,
1931, as amended, relating to increasing the criminal
penalties for assaults and batteries against athletic
officials.

Be it enacted by the Legislature of West Virginia:

That §61-2-15a of the Code of West Virginia, 1931, as amended,
be amended and reenacted to read as follows:

ARTICLE 2. CRIMES AGAINST THE PERSON.

§61-2-15a. Assault, battery on athletic officials; penalties.

(a) If any person commits an assault as defined in subsection
(b), section nine of this article, to the person of an athletic
official during the time the official is acting as an athletic
official, the offender is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon
conviction thereof, shall be fined not less than $50 nor more than
$100$500, and imprisonedor confined in the county jail not less
than twenty-four hours nor more than thirty days six months, or
both fined and confined.

(b) If any person commits a battery, as defined in subsection
(c), section nine of this article, against an athletic official
during the time the official is acting as an athletic official, the
offender is guilty of a misdemeanor, and, upon conviction thereof,
shall be fined not less than $100 nor more than $500$1,000, andimprisonedor confined in the county jail not less than twenty-four
hours nor more than thirty daystwelve months, or both fined and
confined.

(c) For the purpose of this section, “athletic official” means
a person at a sports event who enforces the rules of that event,
such as an umpire or referee, or a person who supervises the
participants, such as a coach.